Situated in between two national parks - the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales - we source most of our softwood sawlogs within a 60 mile radius of our sawmill.

These conifer woods are crops which have been planted for the specific purpose of future harvesting. They are only perhaps 25-45 years old, rather than being historic woodlands that have stood for centuries.

Our Chain of Custody Certification means the sawlogs are tracked from the felling site to our sawmill, and then on to our customers. We work hard to ensure every link between the forest and the consumer is certified.

Our FSC label guarantees that the trees that are harvested are replaced or allowed to regenerate naturally.

Wood is very much a material of the future. By working closely with landowners and CONFOR, the organisation for sustainable forestry and wood-using businesses, we are helping do our bit to help the environment and promote the sustainability of this natural resource.

This ongoing commitment gives customers the assurance that future generations will be able to enjoy the benefits of the forest and that they are managed with consideration for people, wildlife and the environment.

Working in partnership with approved forestry contractors ensures that timber is harvested efficiently by highly skilled and experienced professionals.

Commercial timber harvesting needs to be planned and conducted with the utmost respect for the environment and also for the safety of operatives and the general public.

We work with a trusted network of contractors and have direct input on their operations.

This is a year-round, all weather activity; even with advances in machinery and technology, it is still not without considerable danger - activities worth remembering when thinking about the provenance of even a modest piece of wood.

Once felled, the timber needs to be removed from the site as quickly and efficiently as possible - it's not stretching the truth to say that wood that was growing on the flanks of Grizedale Forest could be a fully processed product from our sawmill in Hutton Roof later the same day.

Depending on the species and requirements from the crop, the logs are stripped of superfluous small branches and foliage before being cut to length and stacked.

This timber is then systematically loaded and transported back to our sawmill yard for sorting and processing.

Upon arrival, the round logs are sorted by species, size and suitability for their end uses and application.

It's a process which tracks every piece of wood from end-to-end and ensures that as much of the log is used as possible - wood is a valuable natural resource and it makes sense that we recover the most out of every single log.

Wood is a valuable natural resource and it makes sense that we recover the most out of every single log.

The production of high quality timber in our sawmill naturally results in residues and co-products such as offcuts, bark, sawdust and chippings.

As well as supplying this material to large companies with their own converting and biomass energy systems, P Irving and Sons have invested in advanced machinery for processing co-products into high quality biomass fuel.

This investment means that we have the capability to process every piece of wood that enters our yard into a specific end-product.

The production of firewood is very much a by-product of our main operations. Even though wood is a sustainable resource, producing this material to burn is never going to be an efficient output.

Only wood which we consider to be unsuitable for our end products is chopped into firewood. That's not to say it isn't a quality product for putting onto your fire or stove!

Our Commitment to Responsible Forestry

Being fully FSC® Registered, P Irving and Sons procure all our timber from well managed and controlled woodlands. We are conscious about future resources and will continue sourcing our raw timber materials from responsible landowners and certiﬁed woodlands with planned re-planting and regeneration strategies.

Our Commitment to Responsible Forestry

Being fully FSC® Registered, P Irving and Sons procure all our timber from well managed and controlled woodlands. We are conscious about future resources and will continue sourcing our raw timber materials from responsible landowners and certiﬁed woodlands with planned re-planting and regeneration strategies.